Tech

What are XSS, CSRF and Other Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities?

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest issues as well as challenges in the contemporary era across the world. The enormous technological advancement especially the use of internet in almost all sectors including government, non-government, corporate and industrial sectors have changed the status of performance and have resulted in significant outcome or achievements. However, on the other hand, all the sectors and their performance have become completely dependent on the internet as well as technologies. You may not be worried if you are dependent on the internet and technologies, but the problem starts when your internet-enabled device gets cybersecurity vulnerability. Eventually, the hackers can attack your entire computer systems, network through numerous ways and they can not only harm your systems but can further ruin your business.

Your website, as well as official network, can have a number of vulnerabilities that open ways for the hackers access your website as well as other webpages which you are using such as your bank pages, business data and information, information of your clients or customers etc. Some of the common website vulnerabilities which are usually used by the hackers are XSS or cross-site scripting, CSRF or cross-site request forgery, SQL injection, broken authentication and session management, insecure direct object reference, wrong security configuration, remote code execution, username enumeration etc.

The XSS or cross-site scripting is a type of code injection attack like the SQL injection where malicious code is normally injected in the website, and executed and activated in the browser. The website users who use their input within output without appropriate encryption and validation are most often face XSS attacks. In XSS, the hackers usually target and attack the browser indirectly. When the victim or the user opens the infected page, the browser gets the malicious JavaScript code and as the malicious code gets executed the hacker gets access to objects like cookies. Since the session tokens are placed in the cookies, the hackers easily get the username and password and eventually takes the system under control.

The CSRF or cross-site request forgery is another type of cyberattack where the hacker or attacker tricks the website’s authorised user and convince the user to perform unwanted activities such as changing the password or transfer of fund etc. which the user never suspects and does as dictated by the attacker. Soon the user is asked to open a malicious website. Since the website of the user or other webpages such as bank pages of the user is open, the attacker eventually gets access to user’s bank account and can perform any transaction without the notice of the user.

 

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